The present invention relates to solid waste material sorting and recycling systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of producing a reusable fuel substance as well as other useful substances by separating materials in a salvage operation which receives mixed materials, such as automobiles.
Since millions of automobiles become old or unusable, automobile disposal creates an enormous problem. The scrap metal industry has attempted to alleviate this problem by designing several types of mechanized recycling systems.
At these recycling centers, complete automobile bodies (including the seats and upholstery) as well as other types of metallic (containing various amounts of contamination and non-metallic components) are shredded into smaller pieces. The goal is to separate the metallic from the non-metallic components. While the metallic materials are typically recycled, the non-metallic materials have traditionally been taken to a dump for disposal. This has primarily been due to the industry's inability to find a viable, cost-effective alternative.
In an effort to extend the life of existing landfill facilities and, as space in these facilities becomes more limited, there is renewed interest in exploring new alternatives. This is heightened by the trend in automobile design toward fewer metallic components and an increase in the number of non-metallic components. Therefore, it is necessary to develop systems for sorting and recycling as many reusable automobile components as possible. Specifically, there remains a need for improved methods whereby non-metallic materials are converted into reusable byproducts such as, for example, a fuel substance with a relatively high BTU component content.